But shocking new research has found eating sugar is similar to taking various drugs.

The research out of Queensland University of Technology discovered the dreadful effects sugar consumption is having on our brains, possibly causing a change in our behavior.

Ph.D. researcher Masoor Shariff has compared sugar consumption to drug abuse and found some very scary similarities between the two.

Eating sugar and drug abuse change the layout of our brain cells in much the same way.

When a person consumes sugar, their brains release dopamine, just like when they consume cocaine.Shutterstock

“Basically brain cells communicate with each other and other parts of the body and if there’s a change in the structure and layout, it’s going to change that communication, impacting behavior,” Shariff said.

Neuroscientist Professor Selena Bartlett said that when we have sugar, our brain releases dopamine.

Dopamine is also released when we take a hit of drugs and it makes us feel pleasure and attachment to what we’ve consumed.

After long-term drug abuse or sugar consumption, the dopamine levels drop, which leads to higher consumption of a substance because you are trying to get that pleasurable feeling back.

This means you can get addicted to sugar the same way you get addicted to drugs.

Bartlett said that if you’re a sugar addict, and you try to quit, you’ll have withdrawal in the same way drug addicts can.

When you try to quit sugar, it causes a dopamine imbalance, the same as if you were to go off drugs cold-turkey.

Withdrawal is a real thing, for both drug users and sugar consumers.Shutterstock

The researchers initially were trying to discover what alcohol addiction did to the brain and decided to test sugar as well and were completely shocked by the findings.

“I was surprised, I still am,” Shariff said.

“Sugar is something that is so prevalent and it’s given to kids and it could be having the same effect as drugs on us.

“This really put the spotlight on the fact we need to re-evaluate our sugar intake.”

Sugar is also having a similar effect on us as tobacco and the researchers are looking into whether drugs to help quit smoking could cure sugar addictions.

People addicted to tobacco can access a drug called Champix, which helps reduce cravings, and Shariff believes the drug could work in the same way for those who can’t stop eating sugar.

Sugar addiction causes disorders like binge-eating and leads to a lack of motivation and sometimes depression.

It can also cause people to lose control and affect your mood.

These new findings really drive home just what sugar is doing to our bodies.

We already know it’s a leading factor when it comes to obesity, and the latest World Health Organization figures tell us 1.9 billion people in the world are overweight and 600 million are considered obese.

It turns out that obesity isn’t the only negative side effect of a high-sugar diet.Shutterstock